When you enter your home after a long day in a storm, and you are greeted by a flooded basement, it can bring out the chills in you, not just literally. From making the basement unusable to ruining personal belongings, creating health and safety issues, flooded basements are sometimes not covered by insurance.
Nearly 14,000 Americans face water damage daily, and 98% of the basements will experience water damage in their lifetime.
A call to a sump pump repair service will be the ideal first step to deal with a flooded basement in most cases. It is because faulty pumps can be the main reason for the basement to flood in many situations.
Yet, few other factors can lead to flooding as well. Here are some tips on how to deal with a flooded basement.
Table of Contents
Causes of Basement Flooding
All basements are at higher risks of flooding if there are no proper waterproofing measures in place. Some of the common causes of a flooded basement are:
Heavy Rainfall or Snow Melt
With the nature of the basement’s positioning on the ground, when the rainwater is dumped continuously in the ground near your home, it can sometimes break through the waterproofing system laid around the basement.
Problems with Sewer System
The storm and sanitary sewer pipes that run in and around your house are vulnerable to issues. Even a small crack or a loose joint in the pipes can flood your basement.
Sump Pump Problems
A sump pump is designed in such a way as to help remove excess water from your home. Improper maintenance or power outages can cause Sump pump failure, leading to an overflowing sump pit and eventually a flooded basement.
Tips to Deal with A Flooded Basement
Your Safety Is the First Priority
If your basement is flooded, it can pose serious safety and health risk. So safety measures should be the first thing that you should think about before everything else. When there is water in the basement, you have to consider that it would have risen above the electrical outlets, and there may be an electrical hazard.
So, first, find the main breaker and cut off the power supply to the basement area. If you fail to do this, there are chances of electrocution when you touch the water.
If the only way to reach the breaker is through the water, then stay back and call repair professionals for help.
Try To Find the Source of Water
Once you are sure that there are no electrical hazards, you have to find the water source. Sometimes the source will be apparent, for example, a burst water line. But in some cases, the water may be leaking into the basement from some other areas.
If you reach out to plumbing and sump repair services, they will help you figure out the cause of the water problem and waterproof the system in a better way.
Remove the Water
A flooded basement is the result of a faulty sump pump. You may have to purchase a new one to replace the faulty pump and use it to drain the water. The pump alone cannot remove all the water from the basement; keep towels and mops in hand to clean up the excess water.
Removing the pump and reinstalling a new one can be a hectic process. If you think you cannot handle it on your own, you can call any sump pump repair services to help install or replace the defective pump in your house.
Install Effective Waterproofing System
To avoid facing a flooded basement again, you must install an effective waterproofing system. Sump pumps and high-quality interior drainage systems are some of the effective ways to waterproof a basement.
It is also good to keep in touch with reliable plumbing and sump pump repair service, as you will need proper maintenance and good service to keep the waterproofing system up and running for a longer time.
Try To Prevent Future Floods
Once your basement floods the first time, you have to figure out its root cause. Are there any cracks in your foundation? Did the heavy storm flood the lawn and drain into the basement? Is it time to replace or upgrade to a new Sump pump?
Professional plumbing service providers will help you find the right solution for the problem so that the flooding does not happen again. You may have to update your basement, fix the foundation, or change the landscaping and gutters to stop the flooding.
Once you solve the problem at hand, you should focus on preventing any future flooding. If you think you have to install more preventive measures, reach out to plumbing and sump repair services and install the required systems to protect your basement.
